Gallery: North Cave at Northern Xiangtangshan

Freer Gallery of ArtTransfer from the National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution F1977.9

Left Hand of Maitreya

Asian Art Museum of San Francisco Transfer from the Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco B69 S37

A 1922 photograph of the seated Buddha of the Future shows that this hand, which holds the looped end of his robe, was still in place. At that time, the tips of the two raised fingers were broken off, but these fragments appear to have been recovered and reattached.

Please note: The Freer Gallery of Art will be closed to the public from January 2016 until summer 2017. The Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, Library, and Archives will remain open for the duration of the renovation. Learn more »